McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Electric Superman Red review
The Electric Superman Red figure shows that McFarlane Toys is not afraid to tackle any and all storylines from DC’s history. This was a no-brainer chase from the standard Electric Blue figure from the JLA Collect to Build Plastic Man wave. I’m kinda impressed how wide a net in terms of figures and teams McFarlane has started. Finishing them will be the next step.
Electric Superman Red and Blue was part of a fun 90s arc that paid homage to a 1963 storyline where Superman was split into two beings. One was in all red and the other all blue. There was no change to the costume beyond the colors. For the 90s version, Superman’s power set changed leading to a run that was more fun than it should have been. Arguably, Grant Morrison showcased Superman’s electric powers best in the JLA run with Howard Porter.
While Electric Superman Red was heavily featured in the Superman titles, this look never graced JLA. That’s fine since this is just more of a cool bonus that makes sense than anything else. Let’s see if Superman Red has me heated or happy to get a worthwhile chase.
Packaging: There’s clearly no need to expect any changes at this point with the Multiverse packaging. That’s great for consistency’s sake and doesn’t bother me since I open and recycle this boring setup anyway. Since this is the chase, it’s got the platinum foil emboss on the front.
I don’t love the setup for the CTB waves as the packaging doesn’t feature the character much. The main art is Plastic Man in action and the card art for the rest of the wave. Ironically, Superman is shown in his original JLA look. McFarlane’s packaging team really needs to do a better job of matching the art with the figure.
Likeness: Superman Red seems to be using a new torso. I thought it was the Blue Beetle mold until I noticed the circle lining around his collar bone, which I can’t recall. He definitely has new legs as Superman Red doesn’t have that annoying boot cuff mold that’s been annoyingly included with too many figures.
He is using the arms from the recent Superman figure as the sleeve cuffs are intact. Ideally, McF would mix and match parts better as some of the reuse doesn’t make sense.
The head sculpt is amazing. It’s probably the best Superman likeness we’ve gotten with apologies to the first Action Comics #1000 figure. It’s got a focused expression without looking too goofy or too mean. This one is just right.
One thing the DC Classics figure still has the edge though is the more aggressive Superman Red actually had an angry head sculpt. That would have been a cool addition here.
Electric Superman Red’s electric costume wasn’t as elaborate as his classic look so the simplified sculpt reflects that with this base body.
Scale: While his powers were different, Superman’s height didn’t change. He should be the tallest member until Big Barda arrives on the squad. Scaling isn’t always a strong suit for McFarlane Toys, but Superman matches up pretty well with Martian Manhunter and Kyle Rayner.
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Paint: The hard part of the figure wasn’t the sculpt so much as pulling off the sharp edge linework of the costume via paint job. That’s not a knock since sculpting all of that detail really isn’t essential. Fortunately, the white and red combination is smoothly done.
Red and white are a tricky combination especially with a sharp, bright red like this version. There are just a few spots where the white had some bleed through. I had to look close to spot any issues with fuzziness or faded lines.
Articulation: Electric Superman Red has the usual 22 points of articulation. That gives him the ability to hit some fun flying and fist throwing poses.
As usual, the mid-torso joint doesn’t offer the best range and would be an ideal candidate for improvements when McFarlane is ready to enhance the articulation model. The “diaper” section rides up a little on his left hip area but I’m hopeful I can fix that.
Otherwise, you shouldn’t have too much trouble striking some exciting poses with him.
Electric Superman Red has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders [with pop up/down point]
- butterfly shoulders
- elbow
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- waist
- hip
- thigh
- knee
- ankle
- toe
Accessories: McFarlane Toys tends to limit accessories to the essentials. That’s the deal here as well.
Electric Superman Red gets four lightning effect pieces — two for the arms and two for the lower legs. They’re done in a translucent light blue that simulates an electric spark very well. I wish they would stay on snugly when posing the figure, but they tend to slip off with minimal movement.
As usual, Superman gets the trusty black stand. Like any character that takes flight, I wish they also included the flying stand as they’re useful and aid in more diverse posing options. The trading card features Superman from the Morrison/Porter JLA era although it’s pre-electric power shift. That’s so weird.
Superman Red also comes with the torso for the Collect To Build Plastic Man.
Worth it? McFarlane Toys figures with CTBs are $25. That’s a fair price, but I lucked out as Target had a sale where these figures were down to $17.49. I wish I’d gotten the entire set when I first saw them as I could have price matched to the sale like I did with Superman.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Shaky hip plastic, looser lightning effects and the occasional paint gaffe aside, this is a very cool Superman variant and one I’m glad to have in the collection. Now to get the standard baby blue version.
Where to get it? The JLA wave has a wide release so you can find it in Target, Walmart, GameStop, etc. Failing that you can always try your luck getting a chase version on Amazon.
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